Fun 4th of July Crafts for Kids

Celebrate Independence Day with the family by making these creative and patriotic crafts for kids. From festive decorations to cute bracelets and pom-poms, start your 4th of July celebration with a bang.

For a fun 4th of July accessory, have kids string a red, white, and blue ribbon through a star-shape pendant (available at hobby stores). Knot the ribbon to secure the star. Wear the pendant with pride this Independence Day, or place one at every place setting for a patriotic table.

Create a patriotic firework garland using felt, ribbon, yarn, and buttons. Cut various-size circular, flower-shape, and sun-shape pieces from red, white, and blue felt. Use fabric glue to adhere the shapes together, layering them for an exploding firework effect. Glue or stitch buttons to the centers, then attach each piece to a grosgrain ribbon using fabric glue or stitching. Alternate yarn pom-poms for variety.

Make a festive container for carting treats to watch the fireworks display. Thoroughly wash out old paint cans and let kids decorate them for their fun 4th of July snacks. Cover each can with red, white, or blue construction paper, and supply the kids with stickers and markers to personalize their cans. Line the inside of the can with a large baggie before filling with snacks.

Get into the patriotic spirit this 4th of July with fun and festive pom-poms. Gather 2-foot-long strands of thick red and blue yarn, adding 2-foot-long lengths of patriotic ribbon. Tie a knot in the middle, using the knot to attach the yarn to a short white dowel. Secure the pom-pom to the handle using a dot of hot glue. Hot-glue a felt star near the knot.

Find a use for spare buttons and create a darling tribute to the American flag this July 4th. Start with a piece of 8-1/x11-inch white construction paper, and glue a 4x6-inch piece of blue construction paper onto the top left-hand corner. Glue 13 alternating rows of red and white buttons onto the white paper for stripes and little white buttons on the blue paper for stars. Frame the star-spangled creation.

Use sparkly fabric gel pens to depict your own July Fourth fireworks on a plain red, white, or blue T-shirt. Lay the shirt flat on newspapers, and place a piece of poster board or cardboard inside to prevent the gel ink from bleeding through. Make a point for the center of your firework, and draw arching rays going in all directions, alternating colors for variety.

Waiting for the fireworks to start can make kids (and adults!) antsy. Make the wait pass quickly with snacks served in festive take-out containers. Give kids red, white, and blue take-out boxes (available at crafts or party stores) and an arsenal of stickers, ribbons, and other embellishments and let their imaginations do the rest. Fill the decorated containers with popcorn or trail mix, grab a blanket, and settle in for a spectacular show.

Planning a road trip this Fourth of July? Keep kids in the holiday spirit by letting them decorate binders ahead of time with stickers and scrapbooking paper. Fill the binders with coloring pages or trivia questions and patriotic puzzles (depending on the child's age). Tuck a package of crayons or a few pencils into the pocket, thenhit the highway.

Simple lengths of intertwined string, lacing, or ribbon have cemented camaraderie between generations of best buds. Weave a little patriotism into the classic craft with red, white, and blue lacing (available at crafts stores) braided into bracelets to give and to wear. Experiment with different combinations of strands and embellish with beads for added flair.

Add a little patriotic flair to your wardrobe with star-spangled flip-flops made especially for watching fireworks. Hot-glue glow-in-the-dark stars to red-white-and-blue flip-flops. The fireworks won't be the only thing lighting up the night.

Make this red, white, and blue windsock by gluing scrapbooking paper around a clean frozen juice-concentrate container, then extending paper a few inches beyond the can. Tape streamers and pipe cleaners that have been twisted around a pencil for a curlique shape to the inside bottom edges of the windsock. Inside the top, tape two equal-length pieces of fishing line across from each other so the windsock is balanced; tie together at the top for easy hanging at a July Fourth celebration.

Set up a Bubble Wrap hopscotch course in the garage for a fun July 4th craft and game that's loud, legal, and safe. Apply double-sided adhesive tape to the underside of the painted squares to prevent them from slipping.

Host your own Fourth of July parade and let the kids decorate their bikes and scooters for the occasion. Supply them with pinwheels, ribbon, chenille stems, and more. If you're hosting a big crowd with lots of children, sponsor a decorating contest and offer prizes to participants.

For festive Fourth of July artwork, squirt blobs of diluted crafts glue onto a sheet of black foam. Then blow through a flexible straw to spread the glue and to create interesting starburst shapes. Sprinkle colored sand on the glue; let dry. Repeat with more glue and sand colors to layer your faux fireworks display.